Do catamarans use less fuel? That’s an interesting question. On the one hand, the two hulls together are narrower than one wide monohull, which means less water resistance. And on the other hand, there are two motors, effectively doubling the fuel consumption. The short answer is: it depends. However, all things being equal, cats use less fuel.
Catamarans use less fuel, even though they could easily have double the fuel consumption. This is because they traditionally have two engines, one on each hull. This is due to their being very light in the water and having very low water displacement.
I did my own research on this plus I asked three authorities in the field. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t fooling myself or missing the point. Here’s what I found.
Greater Fuel Economy
One source said a catamaran hull experiences little drag or resistance, resulting in greater fuel economy. Catamarans have seen a steady rise in both speed and fuel burn with little to no spikes in fuel consumption. This results in higher overall fuel efficiency.
Much Lighter in the Water
Another source said catamarans have two engines, which burn fuel and drive up costs.
However, a catamaran is much lighter in the water, so it usually takes much less energy to get the catamaran moving. This means you’ll end up using less fuel in a catamaran overall than you would in a monohull.
On top of this, captains can decide to only one engine in less windy areas. This decreases the fuel that a catamaran consumes even further. Besides, catamarans are lighter because they aren’t carrying around excess lead.
Fuel efficiency can vary. A monohull navigates rough waters much more efficiently than a catamaran. In this case, you’ll use less fuel in a monohull than you would in a catamaran. However, fortunately this is a small percentage of daily travel.
Catamarans are Impressively Efficient
And the last source said with their reduced water displacement, power catamarans are impressively efficient. The wider bows of a monohull require more horsepower to get onto the plane. Therefore, catamarans use less fuel overall.
Not only do catamarans burn significantly less fuel but catamarans are able to get onto plane under just one motor. This is a significant safety advantage for everyone, enabling the boat with only one working engine to return to shore. This ability enables cruisers to expand their cruising ground greatly while not breaking the bank. It also means not taking all day to get to motor to the next anchorage.
Conclusion
Bottom line is that catamarans use less fuel, even though they could easily have double the fuel consumption. This is because they traditionally have two engines, one on each hull. This is due to their being very light in the water and having very low water displacement.
There are other opinions, but catamarans are increasingly popular and getting much better. Catamarans use less fuel because they have greater fuel economy, they are much lighter in the water and they are impressively efficient.
If you have more information, I would love to hear it. Please send me feedback and I will report back on what I found.
https://worldcat.com/catn-around/monohull-boats-vs-catamarans/
https://www.thewaywardhome.com/best-sailing-catamaran/
https://makaiyachts.com/why-a-power-catamaran/